They Just Don't Know
by TJ Sparkles
Summary: Gift for Mrs. Sid The Kid. An unthinkable act has Christian reeling. Looking for solace, he pours his heart out to an unlikely person--Chris Jericho. Oneshot.


****

A/N: Christmas gift for Liv. Hope you enjoy, and to everyone else reading, I hope you enjoy as well :) Please R&R!

**The song used is "The Last Night" by Skillet. Obviously, I don't own the song.**

**Warnings: There is slight, implied slash in this, so if that makes you uncomfortable, then I suggest that you don't read further.**

* * *

Choking back the tears that were threatening to pour forth from his eyes, Christian Cage raised his hand to knock on the door in front of him. It was quite late—well after midnight—but due to the day's events, he was unable to sleep. He really hated what he was about to do, because coming to others, even his friends, with his problems made him feel weak, but he was tired of putting on a front. He **wasn't **okay, and quite frankly, he was sick of pretending to be strong all the time. It was exhausting, to say the least.

That was the reason Christian had chosen to go to Chris Jericho for advice, instead of Adam or Terry. Even though he and Chris hadn't been friends as long as he and Adam had, Christian felt more comfortable around the Winnipeg native. He was less judgmental than Adam, and way more laid-back. If there was anyone that Christian could trust to keep the secret he was about to spill, it was Jericho. The blonde felt his nerves settle a bit as he knocked firmly on the door. Almost as soon as his hand had left the door, he heard the noise of the lock clicking and the door opened, revealing a half-asleep Chris Jericho. The shorter man raked a hand through his messy blonde man and blinked a bit sleepily.

"Christian?" he questioned, a look of surprise clouding his handsome features.

_You come to me with scars on your wrist_

_You tell me this will be the last night feeling like this_

No sooner had the words escaped Jericho's mouth that Christian felt foolish. It was the middle of the night, after all. This had really been a bad idea, and he considered just apologizing to Chris for waking him up, and then going back to his room and trying his best to forget about his problem until tomorrow.

"Sorry to bother you," Christian mumbled, his blue-green orbs focusing on the carpet in front of him. _I should have waited until the morning to do this, _he thought. "I know it's late…"

_I just came to say goodbye_

_Didn't want you to see me cry, I'm fine_

_But I know it's a lie_

"It's not a problem," Chris replied, obvious concern lacing his voice as he stepped forward and placed a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Come on in, it's much warmer in here. You'll freeze if you stand out there all night." He smiled as he moved aside for Christian to enter the small hotel room. Christian smiled a weary smile as he seated himself on the couch, beside of Jericho.

"Now, what's wrong?" Jericho questioned softly, his eyes showing worry. "I know you didn't knock on my door at midnight just because you wanted to see me." A half-smile appeared on his face, which made Christian feel a little bit more comfortable with the whole situation. Chris leaned back against the couch, his arms splayed over the back as he waited patiently for Christian to speak.

However, now that he was here, in front of Chris, Christian wasn't sure how to approach the subject. In his room, he had planned out exactly what he was going to say, but he seemed to be at a loss for words now. It wasn't because he thought Chris would judge him—he just didn't know how to express the problem in words. All he knew was that he'd been carrying this huge weight on his shoulders for some time now, and he just wanted to be rid of it, of the whole messy problem. Another reason he was unsure of what to say was that the situation was, well, embarrassing. At least to him, because he was a guy. Situations like this normally didn't happen to guys, so there was a little bit of shame in his feelings also.

The tears were coming again. Christian felt like he was pathetic—guys didn't cry, or at least that's what he'd always been taught. He choked them back yet again and turned to his fellow Canadian, who was still waiting for him to talk.

"Well, you see, it's like this," he began, staring at his hands. "Oh, I don't know how to say it—something bad happened to me last week." Christian looked up at Jericho, who simply nodded. "Something…**cruel.**" He emphasized the last word, drawing it out slowly.

"Continue," Jericho said simply, his face expressionless. He didn't want to force his friend to speak. Whatever this problem was, it was obviously taking a toll on him. Chris could tell by the bags around Christian's eyes that he hadn't slept for several nights, and his skin was deathly pale. Christian twiddled his thumbs for a few seconds, and then sighed before talking.

"I was assaulted; I guess you could say, last week. It was after the taping," he blurted out, still not looking at Chris. "You're the only person I've told, I guess because I didn't know who else to come to." He hung his head in shame. "It's embarrassing."

Chris let what Christian had just told him set in his mind for a second. If Christian had been assaulted, and it was as bad as he said, why hadn't he told anyone? Why wait a week before telling anyone? The only reason he could think of was that Christian was ashamed of getting beaten up, especially since he did that to others on a weekly basis. But really, there was nothing to be ashamed about. Chris had been beaten up before, many times in his life, and he'd never felt like he was less of a man for it. Christian wasn't alone in what he was going through. Maybe he just needed someone to tell him that.

_This is the last night you'll spend alone_

_Look me in the eyes so I know you know_

_I'm everywhere you want me to be_

_The last night you'll spend alone_

_I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go_

_I'm everything you need me to be_

"Explain exactly what you mean by 'assaulted'," Chris stated, as he sat up a bit. "What exactly happened? Were you just beaten up?"

"No," the Toronto resident replied quietly. "I was raped."

The reality of what he'd just said set in no sooner than the words came out of his mouth, and he was shocked at how much better he felt. All the stress, the worrying, the feelings that he'd been holding in ever since that horrible night were released from his body the moment he spoke those words. Christian was very relieved that he'd made his confession—quite honestly, he hadn't been sure he would be strong enough to speak those words. Now that he had, that huge weight he'd been carrying around was gone. Well, most of it was, anyway.

"What?" The color drained from the older man's face. "Did you say that you were…"

"Raped." Christian repeated, bitterly. "You can say it, you know. It happened last week." He raked a hand through his short hair.

"I'm….sorry," Chris offered, feeling stupid because he didn't know what else to say."

Christian chuckled, a bit harshly.

"Why should you be sorry? It's not your fault." The tone of his voice was now wistful. "It's mine. But hey, I probably deserved it, right?"

Chris moved from his spot on the couch and knelt down before his friend, locking his eyes with Christian's.

"Don't even think for a minute that what happened was your fault," he commanded. "Do you get me, Christian?" The man known as Y2J placed his hand on Christian's knee. "Don't blame yourself…things like this happen every day. It's unfortunate, but there's nothing you could have done to prevent it. It was just a random, horrible act."

Christian shrugged.

"If you say so. I just feel like….the past three nights have been **so** long," he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "I just wish I could crawl in a hole or something."

_The night is so long when everything's wrong_

_If you give me your hand I will help you hold on tonight,_

_Tonight_

_Tonight_

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Chris rubbed the other man's shoulder gently, trying to comfort him. "You know my door's always open if you need to talk."

"I don't know," Christian shrugged. "Guess I was ashamed, and like I said, guys don't get raped. I probably could've stopped it, I just didn't try."

"Stop blaming yourself," Chris ordered. "Stop it right now." He reached over and pulled a few blankets off the couch, and tossed them to Christian, who gave him a quizzical look.

"You're staying here tonight." Christian opened his mouth to protest, but Chris wouldn't let him. "You don't need to be alone."

Christian sighed, but was grateful for the offer Chris had made. With the events of last week still eating away at him, he didn't really feel like being alone. Just a few short hours ago, he'd been dreading the decision to tell Chris what was bothering him. But he had been right about choosing Chris as the person to speak to—he'd listened without judgment, and was even letting him stay with him through the night, because he knew that Christian was afraid to be alone.

_I won't let you say goodbye_

_And I'll be your reason why_

"You really don't have to, Chris," he said. "I'll be fine."

"Stop arguing and just go get a pillow from the closet." Chris pulled his shirt off and tossed it on the floor. "You can argue with me tomorrow. Right now, you need to get some sleep." He smiled and playfully ruffled Christian's hair. "Night, blondie."

"Night, Chris," Christian replied. He placed the covers on the couch and settled himself down underneath them, pulling them up to his chin. "And thanks…it means a lot."

But Jericho hadn't heard him. He was already in his room, down the hall, also settling in to go to sleep.

Christian no longer felt ashamed. He felt somewhat relieved and happy. _Maybe now I'll be able to sleep._ He felt his eyes growing heavy, and a small smile came to his lips as he entered the blissful world of sleep.

_The last night away from me_

_Away from me_

* * *

**Merry Christmas, everyone!!!!!!!!! **


End file.
